Mechanism for controlling the clutches of motor vehicles



March 15, 193.8. MORGAN 2,111,294

MECHANISM FOR CONTROLLING THE CLUTCHES OF MOTOR VEHICLES Filed June 12, 1931. ,1 2 Sheets-Sheet l WWW March 15, 1938, A. MORGAN 2,111,294

MECHANISM FOR CONTROLLING THE CLUTCHES OF MOTOR VEHICLES Filed June 12, 19:51 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 so 25 5 a======- I 765 Q 12 g g i lg. 19. a2 #1 I 51 0 lm emor: ,59- I l, 65 5 U 6 Attorn y- Patented Mar. 15, 1938 Alfred Morgan,

assignor to Bend NT oFFI s- Ilu m 1. rlottenlig, Germany, Aviation horporation, phi.-

cago, ill, a corporation ol' cwaro lit, Wit, ficr'ial No. 543,818

.lc lid, 193d Us. (til. lea-en My invention relates to improvements in mechanisms for controlling the clutches oi motor ve- V hicles, and more particularly in mechanisms oi the 'type in which the suction in the manifold 5 of the engine is used for operating the clutch. One of the objects of the improvements is to provide a clutch controlling mechanism of this type in which the clutch is operated by the suction Within the manifold in the same way as it is usually controlled by the attendant operating the clutch pedal, the improved controlling mechanism being constructed so that the clutch is rapidly released, While the clutch closing movement is performed with a certain retardation. With this object in view my invention consists in providing the clutch operating mechanism with a brake which is inoperative during the clutch releasing stroke, and which is thrown into operation during the clutch closing stroke. In the preferred construction the said brake is constructed so that it is operative only during the last part of the clutch closing stroke and when the friction surfaces of the clutch are about to get into engagement with each other, so that the pressure on and the friction of the said friction surfaces are gradually increased.

With this and other objects in view my invention consistsin the matters to be described hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the ap- Y pended claims.

Forthe purpose of explaining the invention an example embodying the same has been shown in the accompanying drawings in which the same reierence characters have been used in all the views to indicate corresponding parts. In said drawings,

Fig. 1 is an elevation partly in section showing the front 'part of the motor vehicle, a part of the engine and its manifold, and the clutch controlling mechanism, a

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation showing the clutch controlling cylinder and its piston,

Fig, 3 is a sectional elevation on a larger scale taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view showing a part of the piston, I

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4 viewed in;the direction of the arrows,

and

Fig. 6 is anelevation showing a modification in which the clutch controlling mechanism is controlled from the gear shifting lever.

In the figures I have generally indicated the forward portion of an automobile at 50 in Fig. 1, the engine being shown at l, the intake manifold at t, the carburetor at til, the clutch housing at it, the clutch pedal at E and a gear shifting lever at at. 1

The clutch pedal projects through the foot hoard it, upon which is also mounted an accelerator pedal 4 having a stem 54 onnected with the throttle arm 55 of the carburetor, and normally held in. retracted position by a spring 56. The clutch pedal 5 is acted upon by a spring 57 tending to retract the said pedal into clutch closing position. L

On a part 58 of the frame or another part of the automobile a cylinder 6 is mounted in which a piston i has reciprocating movement the piston rod l9 of which is connected by a chain 8 with the clutch pedal 5.

{The cylinder 5 comprises two heads i3 and i4 and a cylindrical wall IS. The head it is formed with a valve casing l2 which is provided at its top with a bushing 21 communicating with the outer air and a bushing 26 connected with a pipe ii, the said pipe being connected by a pipe 9 with the manifold 2. The pipes ll, 9 include -a valve l0 located at the front board and adapted to disconnect the pipe ll and the cylinder 6 from the manifold 2.- The bushings 26, 21 are controlled by valve cones 28 and 30 mounted on a lever 29 securer to a rock shaft 32, a spring 3| being provided, which normally forces the valve cone 28 on its .seat and opens the valve 30. The rock shaft 3 2 carries an arm 33 which is connected by suitable means such as a Bowden cable 34 with the accelerator 4.

By the valve mechanism just described the left hand end of thecylinder 6 may be connected either to the outer air or to the manifold.

The piston 1 comprises two plates 59 and 60 adapted to clamp a disk of rubber or leather 8| having a flange 4! between the same, and between the plate It and the disk ti 9. ring formed with gzflange 62 of elastic material such as sheet steel 5 interposed, the flange "being provided about its circumference with slots 63. By reason of its elasticity the flange 62 forces the flange ll outwardly and into tight engagement with the cylin drical wall l5.

In a sleeve [8 extending through the head H of the cylinder 8 a pipe IT has reciprocating movement, which pipe is open at its outer end, and which is provided at its inner end with holes 2|. Thus the right hand part of the cylinder com- .municates with the outer air. Further, at the inner end of the pipe I! a check valve is provided, which comprises 'a seat 64 and a spherical valve held in position by atransverse pin 42.

- is internally formed with a circumferential groove l! communicating with the outer air through a. vent and into the bushing 23 a screw 24 is screwed which is formed with an axial bore 61 communicating with the groove 65 through a vent I. By screwing the screw more or less into the bushing 22 the flow of air through the bore 61, the vent 62, the groove 65 and the vent I is controlled. After setting the screw 24 it is fixed in position by means of a nut 69.

the piston to the left the valve 22 is unseated The operation of the controlling mechanism is as follows:

While the engine and the motor car are out of.

operation the levers 4 and 5 are retracted by their respective springs, and the accelerator 4 sets the valves 28 and II through the intermediary of the Bowden cable 34 into the positions, in which the pipe ll communicates with the valve casing l2, and the valve 30 closes the bushing 21. piston I is in its right hand end position and it is held in this position by the spring 51 acting on the clutch pedal 5.

When the engine is started the suction produced in the manifold 2 is transmitted through the pipes 8 and H to the valve casing I2 and the left hand part of the cylinder 6. Thereby the piston is shifted to the left and the clutch is set into disengaged position. Now the engine runs under no load. For starting the car, the

gears are shifted to the desired position by the gear shifting lever 45, and the accelerator is rocked into position for admitting gas to the carbureter. At the beginning of themovement of the accelerator, and before gas is admitted to the carbureter the valves 28 and 30 are operated through the intermediary of the cable 34, so that the valve casing I2 is disconnected from the manifold 2 and connected with the outer air.

Therefore the clutch pedal is rocked by the spring I! to the right and into position for closing the clutch. By the said movement the air is pressed from the right hand part of the cylinder 6 and through the bores 2| and the pipe I! to the outer air, and during the first part-of themovement the piston 1 is not materially obstructed. Near the end of the stroke ofthe piston the pipe I1 is brought into the position in which the bores 2| are closed by the inner end of the sleeve l8 and the valve 221s forced on its seat. Thus the pipe I! is closed, and there is only obstructed escape of air through the bore of the 'screw 24.

the cylinder 0 with the intake manifold. Therefore the piston I is shifted to the left and into the position shown in Fig. 2, and the clutch is It will 'be understood that the said released. return movement of the piston is unobstructed, because at the beginning of the movement of The by the air rushing into the cylinder through the pipe l1. After the gears have been shifted the accelerator is again depressed, so that the valve casing I2 is again disconnected from the accelerator and connected with the outer air, and the clutch lever 5 is free to move to the right and into position for closing the clutch, the said movement being again retarded near the end of the stroke of the piston as has been described above. a

The engine controlled clutch operating mechanism may be thrown out of operation by means of the valve 10, in which case the clutch is operated by the foot of the attendant.

Under certain circumstances for example in freight motor cars and motor driven omnibuses, which rely on instantaneous braking by means of the engine it is not desirable to disconnect the motor from the gearing. In such cases I prefer to operate the valves 28, 30 from the gear shifting lever 45. As is shown in Fig. 6 the Bowden cable 34 is connected to the said lever, and it is formed with a head by means of which the cable is operated when the attendant places his hand on the lever 45 for shifting the gears. Thus the valve 28 is opened and the clutch released only as long as the gears arebeing shifted. After the gears have been shifted and the lever 45 released, the valves. 28, are returned into initial position in which the clutch is closed by.

the spring 51. From the foregoing description of the gears, because the period of time needed for shifting the gear and disconnecting the engine from the wheels and therefore the loss of speed of the vehicle are reduced to a minimum.

By providing two separate valves and the controlling mechanism thereof described herein the sucking action on the piston is rapidly started,

because the valve 28 is opened while the accelerator is released. The rapidity of the operation is further increased by providing mechanism for simultaneously operating both valves 28 and 30. A flow of air from one valve to the other is prac-' tically impossible, because the bushings 26 and 21 are spaced from each other. By disposingthe valves in a chamber I2 forming a part of the 'cylinder the volume of air to be drawn from the cylinder by suction is reduced as far as possible, so that the clutch is thrown into disengaged position at high velocity.

If it is desired to make use of the braking action of the engine, while the accelerator has been set into position for interrupting the main supply of gas at the accelerator, for example when the vehicle is driving down grade, the valve I is closed for disconnecting the intake manifold 2 from the cylinder 6. Therefore, when the accelerator is released, the clutch is not automatically set into disengaged position.

I claim:

1. In a motor vehicle, the combination, with the engine and its manifold, the accelerator, and

the clutch mechanism, of a cylinder closed at both ends and having a piston reciprocating therein, a tubular connectionbetween said cylinder at one side of the piston and said manifold, an operative connection between said piston and the clutch mechanism, means adapted to be controlled by the attendant for opening and closing said tubular connection, asleeve parallel to the axis of said cylinder extending into the chamber of the cylinder located at the side opposite to the part communicating with said manifold, a

pipe slidable in said sleeve and having circumferential openings at its inner end and connected with said piston for being movable'therewith into position in which said openings are closed by said sleeve, and a vent extending into said chamber.

2. In a motor vehicle, the combination,- with the engine and its manifold, the accelerator, and the clutch mechanism, of a cylinder closed at botli ends and having a piston reciprocatin therein, a tubular connection between said cylinder at one side of the piston and said manitold, an operative connection between said piston and the clutch mechanism, means adapted to be controlled by the attendant for opening and closing said tubular connection, a sleeve parallel to the axis of said cylinder extending into the chamber of the cylinder located at the side opposite to the part communicating with said manifold, a pipe slidable in said sleeve and having circumferential openings at its inner end having axially adjustable connection with said piston for being movable therewith into position in which said openingsareclosed by said sleeve, and a vent extending into' said chamber.

3. In a'inotor vehicle,"the combination, with the engine and its manifold, the accelerator, and the clutch mechanism, of a cylinder closed at both. ends and having a piston reciprocating therein, a tubular connection between said cylinder at one side of the piston and said manifold, an operative connection between said piston and the clutch mechanism, means adapted to be 7/ controlled by the attendant for opening and closing said tubular connection, a sleeve parallel to the axis of said cylinder extending into the chamber of the cylinder located at the side opposite to the part communicating with said manifold, a pipe slidable in said sleeve and having circumferenti'al openings at its inner end and having axially adjustable connection with said piston for being movable therewith into position in which said openings are closed by said sleeve, a check valve in said pipe internally of said holes constructed for permitting the admission of air through said pipe into said chamber, and'a vent extending into said chamber.

' 4. In a'motor vehicle, the combination, with the engineand its manifold, the accelerator, and the clutch mechanism, of a cylinder closed at both ends and having a piston reciprocating being movable therewith into position in which said. openings are closed by said sleeve, a check valve in said pipe internally of said holes constructed for permitting the admission oi. air through said pipe into said chamber, said check valve comprising a ball adapted to be pressed on its seat by the air flowing outwardly through said pipe and a vent extending into said chamber. 1

5. In a motor vehicle, the combination, with the engine and its manifold, the accelerator, and

the clutch mechanism, of a cylinder closed at both ends and having a piston reciprocating therein, a tubular connection between said cylinder at one side of the piston and said manifold,

an operative connection between said piston and the clutch mechanism, means adapted to be controlled by the attendant for opening and closing said tubular connection, a pipe extending into the chamber of said cylinder located at the side opposite to the part communicating with said manifold, means operative near the end of the clutch closing stroke of said piston for closing said pipe at its inner end, and avent communicating with said chamber. H

ALFRED MORGAN, 

